National Commission on Cost of Higher Education - 1997

National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education was established as a public advisory commission under the Department of Education by Title IV of the Cost of Higher Education Review (PL 105-18) of June 12, 1997.  Though this commission was terminated in 1999 and is not currently working in the same way as it did in 1997, its reports still have a dynamic impact on higher education financing. 

One of the eleven directives addressed by the commission was the extent to which Federal, state and local laws, regulations or other mandates contribute to increasing tuition, and recommendations on reducing those mandates.  It appears that this issue continues to be addressed by current federal and state legislators; the ongoing debate is how the current students will repay current debt obligations that exceed 550 billion dollars.  The continuing questions about mandates have been recently evidenced in the protestors who marched in New York City (msnbc report dated 10/26/11).

The appendix of the cost commission had 13 issues that were labeled the unfinished agenda.  One of the big areas for further research was the “costs and quality” discussion.  Such questions as the following were suggested:  “To what extent are changes in higher education costs related to changes in the quality?  How are higher education products affected by changes in costs?  How can quality by improved and costs reduced?”

In an effort to explain increasing costs in higher education, in June, 2005, Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, created another group modeled after the cost commission.  This National Commission on the Future of Higher Education concluded that the rising costs in higher education were similar to those of other service industries.  They continued to contend that there is no simple explanation for the rising costs of higher education (Archibald & Feldman, working papers, 2006).

The language of NEA (National Education Association) has used the statements of mission from the original cost commission.  The Higher Education Act, recently renamed the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, is up for reauthorization. This law would increase the federal government’s involvement in the cost of higher education with such policies as encouraging lower cost for college, simplifying the federal aid application process, increasing accountability in student loan programs, and increasing aid for veteran families (NEA, 2011).

References 

Another idea for student loan debt: make it go away.    (October 26, 2011). MSNBC.com.  Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45040659/ns/us_news-life/ 

AAU Summary of college costs commission.  (January 21, 1998).  Retrieved October 21, 2011 from www.aau.edu/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=1768 

Archibald, R.B.  (2006).  Working papers on explaining higher education cost increases.  Retrieved October 26, 2011 from www.auburn.edu/.../Explaining_Increases_in_Higher_Education_Costs 

Teachers count: Cost of higher education.  National Education Association.  (2011).   Retrieved October 26, 2011 from http://www.teacherscount.org/issues/highered/index.shtml.

  

s